Practical
Plants

Mentzelia albicaulis

Whitestem Blazing Star

an annual member of the Mentzelia genus in the family Loasaceae.

No photo available

Taxonomy and growth

Family
Loasaceae
Life cycle
annual
Height
0.3 m
Flower type
hermaphrodite

Uses

Edible uses

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - raw or cooked. The oily seed is parched and ground into a meal then mixed with water to make a mush[4][9][10][2][3][7][8]. The seed meal can be kneaded into a seed butter and used as a spread on bread[8]. The minute seeds are much used for food by several native North American Indian tribes[6].

Plant part
Seed

Medicinal uses

Historical medicinal uses. These records describe reported uses. They do not establish safety or effectiveness. Ask a qualified health professional before using any plant medicinally.

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

A poultice of the crushed, soaked seeds has been applied to burns and also to relieve the pain of toothache[8].

Product or use
Odontalgic
Product or use
Poultice
Product or use
Salve

Environment

Range
Western N. America - British Columbia to California.
Habitat
Dry, especially sandy soils, in desert valleys and foothills[11].
Light
full sun
Shade tolerance
no shade
Water
moderate
Soil textures
sandy, loamy, clay
Soil pH
acid, neutral, alkaline
Drainage
well drained
Tolerates Nutritionally Poor Soil
No
Drought
intolerant

Propagation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

Seed - sow spring in situ[5]. Germination should take place within a couple of weeks.

Cultivation

This section contains historical Plants For A Future notes marked noncommercial.

We have very little information on this species and are not sure that it will succeed outdoors in Britain, though it should be possible to grow it as a half-hardy annual. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus. Succeeds in ordinary garden soil[1]. Prefers a moderately fertile well-drained soil in a warm sunny sheltered position[5].

References

  1. F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951-00-00

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  2. Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976-00-00

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  3. Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture.

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  4. Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972-00-00 ISBN 0-486-20459-6

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  5. Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992-00-00 ISBN 0-333-47494-5

    ↩1↩2

  6. Coffey. T. The History and Folklore of North American Wild Flowers. Facts on File. 1993-00-00 ISBN 0-8160-2624-6

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  7. Craighead. J., Craighead. F. and Davis. R. A Field Guide to Rocky Mountain Wildflowers The Riverside Press 1963-00-00 ISBN 63-7093

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  8. Moerman. D. Native American Ethnobotany Timber Press. Oregon. 1998-00-00 ISBN 0-88192-453-9

    ↩1↩2↩3

  9. Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959-00-00

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  10. Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974-00-00 ISBN 0094579202

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  11. Munz. A California Flora. University of California Press 1959-00-00

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